Publications

April 2013
Article

Who Is Governing Whom? Executives, Governance, and the Structure of Generosity in Large U.S. Firms

By: Christopher Marquis and Matthew Lee

We examine how organizational structure influences strategies over which corporate leaders have significant discretion. Corporate philanthropy is our setting to study how a differentiated structural element—the corporate foundation—constrains the influence of... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Structure; Corporate Strategy; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Leadership; Governing and Advisory Boards; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; United States

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01 Dec 2001
News

HBS Alumni Association Board of Directors: President's Report

around the world; the second works to identify a slate of twelve new board members each year; and the latter serves as an advisory board to the... View Details

Keywords: Susan Luick Good; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools

January 2015
Article

Are Incentives Without Expertise Sufficient? Evidence from Fortune 500 Firms

By: Emilie R. Feldman and Cynthia A. Montgomery

Agency theory predicts that incentives will align agents' interests with those of principals. However, the resource-based view suggests that to be effective, the incentive to deliver must be paired with the ability to deliver. Using Fortune 500 boards as an... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Corporate Governance; Incentives; Expertise; Motivation and Incentives; Governing and Advisory Boards; Experience and Expertise; Agency Theory

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Article

Oversight and Delegation in Corporate Governance: Deciding What the Board Should Decide

By: M. Useem and A. Zelleke

Keywords: Corporate Governance

February 1996 (Revised June 1996)
Teaching Note

General Mills Board and Strategic Planning and Lukens Inc., The: The Melters' Committee (A) & (B) TN

By: Jay W. Lorsch, Cynthia A. Montgomery and Lisa J. Chadderdon

Teaching Note for (9-491-117), (9-493-070), and (9-493-071). View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Governing and Advisory Boards; Joint Ventures; Sales; Strategy; Managerial Roles; Steel Industry

July 1999
Article

Board Evaluation: A Key to Strategic Planning

By: Robert B. Stobaugh, Alan McGettigan and Robert Sigler

Keywords: Strategy; Planning; Governance

01 Sep 2003
News

HBS Alumni Association Board of Directors: President’s Report

extraordinary members of the board, some of whom are transitioning off this year and others who will stay on in an advisory capacity. Ed Hajim (MBA ’64) joined the Alumni Board... View Details

Keywords: Ted Fischer; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools

25 Nov 2022
News

Does Your Board Need an Executive Chair?

11 Oct 2024
News

Highlights from the Fall 2024 Alumni Board Meeting

Harvard Business School hosted its annual fall Alumni Board Meeting in late September, bringing together its members for a three-day event that included interactive sessions with faculty and HBS leadership... View Details

July 2020
Background Note

Gender Diversity on Boards: Views from Norway

By: Aiyesha Dey

The issue of gender diversity on boards has received increased attention in U.S markets over the past few years. In 2018, California introduced a law which required boards of U.S-listed firms with headquarters in California to include at least one female director by... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Board Decisions; Gender; Diversity; Governing and Advisory Boards; Norway; United States

Educators

04 Jan 2022
What Do You Think?

Firing McDonald’s Easterbrook: What Could the Board Have Done Differently?

disappointing to board members who witnessed the turnaround Easterbrook had led at the company since his promotion to CEO four years earlier. The board’s investigation found that Easterbrook’s “consensual relationship” wasn’t physical but... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

Mar 26 2023
Testimonial

Exploring New Perspectives on Nonprofit Governance

November 2011
Article

The Role of the Board in Accelerating the Adoption of Integrated Reporting

By: Robert G. Eccles and George Serafeim

This report examines the concept of integrated reporting and its current state of adoption around the globe. It also discusses the benefits to both companies and society and recommends ways boards can help their organizations accelerate the implementation of integrated... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Governing and Advisory Boards; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Social Issues; Global Range; Adoption

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14 Jun 2024
News

Highlights from the Spring 2024 Alumni Board Meeting

Harvard Business School hosted its annual spring Alumni Board Meeting in late May, bringing together its members for a two-day event that included interactive sessions with faculty and HBS leadership on the... View Details

June 2005 (Revised May 2006)
Background Note

Reminders for Owner-Managers Regarding the Board of Directors of Private Companies

By: John A. Davis

Presents a consolidated list of corporate governance best practices for owner-managers of private companies, including family businesses. View Details

Keywords: Governing and Advisory Boards; Family Business

Educators